Do you know someone in your professional network who deserves recognition for their marketing achievements? If so, consider nominating them for a marketing award!
Marketing awards are a great way to recognize your talented colleagues’ hard work, creativity, and passion. They also provide an opportunity to highlight the many accomplishments of marketing professionals. From award-winning campaigns to high-impact strategies, these awards recognize the best of the best.
The impact of marketing awards doesn’t end there – they can also catalyze positive change for your company and brand. To learn more about the many exciting benefits of marketing awards and how to put together a knock-out application, we sat down with Sonya Matejko of Nurtured Narratives. Sonya has written extensively about marketing awards for publications like Forbes and had lots of excellent, actionable information to share with us.
Why should you apply for marketing awards?
According to Sonya, there are many exciting benefits to nominating someone for a marketing award.
As human beings, we universally desire to be recognized and appreciated for a job well done. Nominating your clients or employees for marketing awards will build a culture of recognition at your organization. This type of work culture celebrates talent, fosters success, and encourages employee retention.
Marketing awards can also motivate rising talent within your company. It’s exciting to see colleagues succeed, and building a company culture that rewards hard work will encourage others to do their best.
But the benefits of marketing awards don’t end there. Your brand’s reputation has a huge impact on recruitment and hiring. Having a culture of recognition will help your organization recruit high-caliber talent.
How do you write an outstanding marketing award application?
When it comes to writing a marketing award application, Sonya has a few best practices to keep in mind.
First, she encourages everyone to get started early. “When writing these types of submissions, many people get tripped by waiting until the last day.” By getting a head start, you’ll have more time to gather all the necessary information and craft a strong, impactful narrative. Sonya recommends creating a Google doc containing all the informational puzzle pieces: names of stakeholders, quotes, testimonials, and more. When the time comes to write, you can simply pull information from your Google doc instead of chasing down each individual tidbit.
To maximize impact, your award submission should read like a story. It should have a beginning, middle, and end. It should also start with a solid hook to arouse the reader’s attention and make them curious to learn more.
What should you include in the award application?
A solid award application typically includes a biographical section and an anecdote. In the biographical section, you’ll include key information about the nominee’s professional profile: job title, work history, and education. This section serves as a quick elevator pitch to familiarize the reader with your nominee.
The anecdote section is where you can let your creativity run wild. In this story-driven section, you’ll present a snapshot of an event that showcases your nominee’s talent and impact. Perhaps your nominee spearheaded a high-impact branding campaign or solved a challenge internal to your organization through creative problem-solving.
No matter what anecdote you choose, Sonya explains that you’ll want to “create a picture someone can see, feel, and imagine the impact of.” To achieve this, Sonya says chatting with the nominee’s colleagues or managers can be extremely beneficial. “It’s nice to involve other people who work with them daily.” You can also collect information from the nominee, but Sonya recommends you “get the content from them candidly.” That way, you can surprise them if they win!
Be mindful when it comes to data. While including data and metrics can be helpful, they should always add to the story – not distract from it. Including too many numbers can bog down the narrative and distract the reader from the big picture of your nominee’s outstanding achievements.
AMA Chicago’s Marketer of the Year Award: Who Will You Nominate?
Do you know an outstanding marketing professional who deserves award recognition for their hard work? Be sure to nominate them for AMA Chicago’s Marketer of the Year Award! For the second year running, our chapter is recognizing marketing trailblazers who work with the branding, marketing, and communications aspects of their company’s brand. Submissions begin Monday, May 15, and we’ll announce the winner at our CMO Forum event on Thursday, October 5, 2023. We can’t wait to see who you nominate!
